Packaging beverage infusor units having string handles and tags



Dec. 11, 1951 H. o. IRMSCHER 2,577,765

PACKAGING BEVERAGE INFUSOR UNITS HAVING STRING-HANDLES AND TAGS Filed June 26, 1948 INVENTOR. HANS 0. IRMSCHER 4 TTOENEY Dec. 11, 1951 H. o. IRMSCHER PACKAGING BEVERAGE INFUSOR UNITS HAVING STRING-HANDLES AND TAGS 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 Filed June 26, 1948 'INVEL 'TOR. r

HA NS 0. lR/V/SCHEE Lug, BMW

4 rroe/v'y Paiented Dec. 11, 1951 PACKAGING BEVERAGE INFUSOR UNITS HAVING STRING HANDLES AND TAGS Hans 0. lrmsclier, East llempstead, N. Y assignor to National Urn Bag Co. Inc., a corporation of New York Application June 26, 1948, Serial No. 35,373

9 Claims.

manufacture. which shall be capable of quantity production on automatic high speed packaging machines, which shall provide said arrangement of the group of tea balls within the package or carton to facilitate removal of each tea ball individually, which shall present the tea balls in the package when openin an attractive manner, which shall expose advertisements or other reading matter on the tags when the package is first opened and when the contents is partially removed, and which package with said improved arrangement and method shall be practically and efilcient to high degree in use.

Other objects of the invention willin part be obvious and in part hereinafter pointed out. The invention accordingly consists of features of packaging arrangement and method, combination of elements and steps in the method, which will be exemplified in the arrangements and method hereinafter described and for which the scope of the application will be indicated in the following claims.

In the accompanying drawing in which is shown one possible illustrated embodiment of the invention. r

Fig. 1 is a'prospective fragmentary view of the discharged end of an automatic tea ball making machine, showing an arrangement of the tea balls with string handles and tags trailing for delivery to a box or container just 'priorto being filled in practicing the invention.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary cross sectional'view taken on line of 22 in Fig. '1, portion being broken away to expose the tea balls in the dis-' charge chute, and showing the box or container positioned in filling operation with tea balls in the improved arrangement embodying the inven-'- tion;

Fig. 3 is a top view 01' the improved package or carton showing tea balls having string-handles and tags arranged therein to embody the invention, the top wall of the package being cut away to'expose the contents.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary side view of the improved package or carton showing the contents like Fig. 3, a side wall being cut away to expose the improved. arrangement of the tea ball stringhandles and tags.

Fig. 5 is an end view of the package or carton corresponding to a section as seen from lines 55 in Fig. 4, showing the uppermost or top tea ball with the string-handles and tags of those following.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view showing an open ended package or carton filled with tea balls arranged to embody the invention with the uppermost or top tea ball unit exposed ready to be removed individually, and

Fig. 7 is a front elevational view of one tea ball removed from the package.

Referring to the drawing, l0 denotes a package or carton comprising -a suitable box or container W filled with a plurality of units of any construction, such for example, tea-balls B, or the like beverage infusors, each having a string handle H, terminated by tag T arranged to facilitate theremoval'of said tea-balls B individually, said package It with its contents of said units being assembled in an arrangement and by a method to embody the invention.

Said units, when comprising tea-balls B of flat square pillow shapeconstruction may be manufactured by an automatic high speed machine M of anywell understood construction in quantity production delivered from a discharge chute D thereof in a finished condition and retained upstanding on a-bottom edge e of said tea-ball B on horizontally extending channel C with the string handle H anchored by suitable means such as a rivet R which secures the end of the end of string handle H on top seam joint 7', of the tea' ball B so that the string handles H extend up over the seam joint 7'; down across the midportion of the side s of tea-ball B fronting the discharge D, said string handle H passing under said bottom edge e so that the T trails along channel C behind the leading tea-balls B as shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

Where container W has a contents of a group of sixteen units, namely, tea-balls B, as shown in Fig. 3, the end or last tea ball B, of said group in the improved arrangement, that is, the leading or first to beindividually removed when end flaps F of container W are opened, as shown in Figs. 5 and 6, has superimposed on side q of such teaball B opposite said side s not only tag T thereof butalso a tag T of the following tea balls B which would otherwise trail along. The other string handles H and tags T are similarly positioned and extend between the tea-ball edges e and the ad- I a iacent walls ofthecontainerwas isclearfrom Pigs. 2.3.4.0(15.

in utilizing the invention. users simply open the 7 dividually by taking hold of a tag T and lifting out the attached tea-ball B as is clear from Figs. 3 to 6.

In practising the method of the invention, it is seen from Figs. 1 and 2 that finished tea balls 8 pass under a depression spring P and then along discharge chute D in an upright position each with a string handle H and T arranged as described above, said tea-balls B being moved by a suitable group selector means G in timed rela-- tion with the operation of machine M onto delivery end E of said chute D. Said delivery end it terminates in form of an open sided box holder which is sized and proportioned to fit inside of container W.

The filling operation proceeds by the operator seating box W on delivery end holder'E. Opera-. tion of machine M arranges the tea-ball B in successive groups of a predetermined number of teaballs B, and as each container W is seated, a group of tea-balls B are inserted wholly therein as shown in Fig. 2, and flaps I closed to provide filled package It. That is, a selected group of teaballs B arranged to upstand on said bottom edges e each with string handle H extended over the top seam Joints 1, across side a and under edge e so that each tag T trails with respect to the direction of movement of the tea-balls B in filling container W, some of the tags T being disposed on side 8 when flaps I are folded down into closure position as is clear from Figs. 3, 4 and 5.

The package III is thus assembled to embody the invention in which each has tea-balls B packaged in groups of a uniform number of units. sixteen as here shown, with the string handles H and tags T conveniently arranged for in removal in an improved and attractive manner when closure end flaps j are opened as shown in Fig. 6.

It is thus seen, therefore, that there is provided an improved method and articles in which the objects of the invention are achieved and which are well adapted to meet all conditions, of practical use.

As various possible embodiments may be made in the above invention for use for different purposes and as various changes might be made in- 4 2. A packaging method comprising the steps of winding a string handle secured by one end thereof only and terminated by a tag at a free-end of a pillow shaped beverage infusor around two spaced apart border edges and across an intermediate flat side. stacking a plurality of said infusor with the wound about string handles into a symmetrically arranged group with the string handles of each infusor extending against an.- other side of a next adjacent inform, and advancing said group'ln a direction with the string handle of each infusor leading and the tag thereof trailing.

, number of flattened beverage infusor units each shaped and sized to conform substantially for fill ing a cross section of the'container said group being arranged with a forward facing side of a leading unit thereof abutting said closure and forming a group enclosed in said container, 0. string-handle secured by one end thereof only said unit by an anchorage at one end and terminated by a tag at a free end thereof, said stringhandle extending across a rearwardly facing side of each of said flattened units with each tag pro.- jecting beyond a bottom edge of each unit toward said closure and at a spaced distance from said anchorage, the tag of each leading unit being positioned that on opening said closure said units 1. A packaging method for a plurality of individual beverage infusor units each having a string handle secured by one end thereof only and terminated by a tag at a free end thereof comprising the steps of arrangin each unit with the string handle extending across a rear side thereof, moving a predetermined number of sald'units as a group in a direction with said rear side and string handle leading and with the tag trailing, inserting said group wholly within a container through an opened closure. and closing said container closure with at least the last trailing tag positioned against a front side of said unit opposite said rear side.

are made individually accessible successively.

5. A package as defined in claim ,4. in which each of said flattened units is rectangular shaped and formed with a top border edge to which the end of said string-handle is secured bythe anchorage said string-handle being positioned to extend around said top border edge and under said bottom edge with the tag and the adjacent portion of the string-handle end retained free from said anchorage. I

6. A package comprisinga container, a front end closure wall for said container, a predetermined numberof flattened beverage infusor units forming a group enclosed in said container to substantially flll same in a superposed relation with respect to sai wall, said group being arranged with a forwardly facing side of a leading unit of said group abutting said front end closed walls, each unit having a rearwardly facing side formed with a bottom edge, a string,- handle secured by one end thereof only to each unit terminated by a tag at a free-end thereof arranged with a string-handle extending across said rearwardly facing side and with the tags of some units projected forwardly beyond said bottom edges thereof. the unit adjacent said closure wall having the tag thereof interposed for. free movement so that on opening said closure wall each unit may successively be removed by 15 opposite said tag to said top border edge,

string-hand extending over said top border edge and from across said rearwardly facing side under the bottom edge to a spaced distance short of said anchorage with tag of each tea ball in position for said successive removal being individually accessible on opening said front end closure wall. 8.'In a package identically formed flattened beverage infusor units, a string-handle terminated by a tag secured to each unit by an anchorage at, an end of the string-handle only opposite said tag, said units being symmetrically arranged and positioned in a compact group with the string handles extending across one side of each unit and intermediate a next adjacent unit in a first direction, said tag of each unit extending therebeyond another next adjacent unit in an angular direction to said first direction with the \tag and adjacent portion of the string-handle free from said anchorage to permit removal of each successive unit for suspension by the entire length of the string-handle.

9; In a; package, a group of identically formed flattened pillow shaped beverage infusors each i having atop border and a bottom edge, a string- 6 handle secured by one end thereof only through an anchorage to the top border edge of each infusor, said string handle terminated at a free end thereof by a tag, the string-handle of a leading intusor of said group extended around said top border edge across one side of each infusor and around under the bottom edge a distance short of said anchorage and otherwise free therefrom to position the tags of individual infusors accessible for removal of each unit from said group successively for suspension by the entire length or the string-handle.

HANS O. IRMSCHER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,746,899 Witt Feb. 11, 1980 2,042,039 Cooper May 26, 1936 2,187,688 Hopkins Jan. 16, 1940 2,256,985 Koegler Sept. 23, 1941 2,406,137 Eaton Aug. 20, 1946 

